The paperback book has become a fixture of many publishers and bookstores. The term "paperback" refers to the cover of a book which generally comprises a heavier paper than the bound printed pages. A paperback cover is flexible, lightweight and can be manufactured at a much lower cost than a conventional hardcover book. The term "hardcover" refers to the rigid, thick and more expensive stiffened cloth or board cover most often found on permanent volumes.
A paperback book offers several advantages over a hardcover book including, inter alia, a lower cost to manufacture, lower cost to the consumer and a reduced shipping weight. In fact, the price of a paperback book makes the book essentially a throwaway item. Being inexpensive, the paperback book has allowed persons who normally could not afford a hardcover version of a book to purchase the paperback version. Thus, over the years, the paperback book has generally made reading materials more accessible to the public.
Libraries, schools and other volume purchasers of reading materials would also like to use paperback volumes because of the cost savings. For the price of one hardcover volume, a purchaser could buy two or more paperback volumes and thus have a larger collection for about the same cost.
However, these volume purchasers are also aware that a paperback volume is far less durable than the hardcover version. As a result, any savings made at the initial purchase would eventually be lost as the volume consumer was forced to purchase replacement volumes when the originals wore out from use. As a result, the use of paperback volumes by volume consumers has been somewhat limited.
This has been particularly true with the market for flat back books. The term "flat back" refers to any book having a total page thickness generally less than about three eighths of an inch and which is not rounded or backed. These books are typically children's books although other types are available. Quite often, flat back books are also found in hardcover versions.
As a result, there is a need in the industry for a method of substituting a more durable cover for the standard paperback cover found on flat bound and other types of books. The method should also be suitable for replacing hardcovers on bound books. In addition, the cost of substitution must be at a price which does not exceed the cost of a hardcover version of the book in the first place. The present invention meets these needs.